Arsonist Gets 15 Years For Trying To Kill Over An iPhone

ALEXANDRIA, VA—An Alexandria man was sentenced Tuesday for setting a fire at an apartment building all because of an iPhone theft in June 2016. Josepha Kasai, 24, will serve 15 years in prison after admitting to attempted murder and a fire that trapped nine people in their apartment units.

According to court documents, Kasai threw a Molotov cocktail toward a third-floor unit at 5349 Taney Avenue, telling a resident "I'm going to burn your house down and going to kill you." The victim, who knew Kasai, tried to get his mother and aunt to safety on the balcony, then jumped. At that point, authorities say Kasai chased him with a knife.

The victim led Kasai away from the home in a chase, and Alexandria Police arrived to arrest the suspect. Kasai confessed to police he intended to kill the victim, saying he stole his iPhone. He added that he made the Molotov cocktails and that killing the victim would have made him "proud."

Residents in the building's six apartment units were able to evacuate. One person was injured in the fire.

Kasai was found guilty of arson and possession of an unregistered destructive device in October.

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